In the art relating to golf balls of two or more pieces having a core and a cover and to multi-piece solid golf balls of three or more pieces having a core, an intermediate layer and a cover, a number of disclosures have hitherto been made which focus on the hardness profile in the core and on the hardness relationship between the intermediate layer and the cover, the intermediate layer material and the like. Such golf balls are described in, for example, JP-A 9-239068, JP-A 2003-190330, JP-A 2004-49913, JP-A 2002-315848, JP-A 2001-54588, JP-A 2002-85588, JP-A 2002-85589, JP-A 2002-85587, JP-A 2002-186686, JP-A 2009-34505 and JP-A 2011-120898.
However, there has been room for further improvement in the core hardness profile of such golf balls. Also, from a standpoint other than that of seeking to optimize the core hardness profile and the overall hardness and thickness parameters of the ball, there has existed a desire for a solid golf ball which, by increasing the distance on shots with a driver (W#1) and improving the spin performance on approach shots with various short irons, has an even more improved performance than in the prior art.